Activity of text interpretation, aimed at students in the sixth year of elementary school, about caramel. To make caramel you only need sugar and a pan. But do you know the chemical process behind the production of this treat? Let's find out? To do so, carefully read the text “What makes caramel” and then answer the various interpretative questions proposed!
This reading comprehension activity is available for download in an editable Word template, ready to print to PDF, as well as the completed activity.
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SCHOOL: DATE:
PROF: CLASS:
NAME:
Read:
To make caramel all you need is sugar and a pan. The heat from the fire alters the chemical structure of sugar (a reaction known as caramelization) and causes it to change color and consistency.
To understand the process in detail, we need to know that regular sugar – which we use to sweeten coffee, milk, etc. – is known to chemists as sucrose. Sucrose, in turn, is formed by the union of two other sugars: glucose and fructose. The production of sucrose is done mainly by plants – such as sugarcane and beetroot.
When on fire, sucrose changes from a solid to a liquid state when it reaches a temperature of 179ºC. Maintained at this temperature for some time, it undergoes a series of chemical transformations, such as the breakdown of the original molecule into glucose and fructose. The union of several glucose or fructose molecules and the evaporation of water from these molecules gives the caramel a glassy appearance. Other chemical reactions that occur during caramelization are responsible for the characteristic aroma of this sweet and its brown color.
Discovering the science behind sweets like cotton candy and caramel is a delight, the bitterness is that excess sugar has a bad consequence: obesity - a serious health problem that affects a large number of people around the world, including kids. Take good care of your health, always choosing healthy foods for your day to day and leave cotton candy, caramel, cake and pudding for sporadic occasions, such as a party.
Joab Trajano Silva. “Ciência Hoje das Crianças” magazine. Edition 278. Available in: .
Question 1 - Read back:
“[…] and makes it change color and consistency.”
The pronoun "he" refers to:
( ) to caramel.
( ) to the heat of the fire.
( ) to sugar.
Question 2 - For chemists, the sugar we use every day is known as:
( ) sucrose.
( ) glucose.
( ) fructose.
Question 3 - In the period "The production of sucrose is done, principally, by plants – such as sugarcane and beetroot.”, the underlined word has the meaning of:
( ) especially.
( ) exclusively.
( ) excessively.
Question 4 – Note this passage of text:
“Kept at this temperature for some time, it undergoes a series of transformations […]”
In this passage of the text, the comma indicates:
( ) the omission of information.
( ) the intercalation of information.
( ) the displacement of information.
Question 5 - In the segment “Take good care of your health, always choosing healthy foods for your daily life […]”, the author of the text:
( ) makes an appeal.
( ) issues an order.
( ) gives guidance.
Question 6 – In “[…] leave the cotton candy, caramel, cake and pudding for sporadic occasions, like a party.”, the highlighted excerpt indicates:
( ) a cause of sporadic occasions.
( ) an example of sporadic occasions.
( ) a comparison between sporadic occasions.
Question 7 – The text "What makes caramel" explains the chemical process, which involves the production of caramel, with a language:
( ) poetic.
( ) didactic.
( ) scientific.
By Denyse Lage Fonseca
Graduated in Languages and specialist in distance education.
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